Josh Piterman will perform musical favourites at the Piano Bar in homecoming performance

After graduating from Federation University musical theatre studies 15 years ago, the performer and classical crossover artist has performed across the world. Now he returns to Ballarat for a one man show at The Piano Bar next Thursday.

"When you come back here - the moment I got in - the heart pumps in a way because you feel you have such a history and attachment," he said.

"It's going to fill me up in a way that I haven't experienced in a while."

It will be one of three regional shows for Piterman, who will visit Geelong and Bendigo on February 10 and 23 respectively.

The star has featured in musicals Westside Story, Cats, Hairspray, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and most recently, in a run in London's West End playing the lead role of The Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera.

He will play the role again in an upcoming Australian season at Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre in Melbourne, starting in September.

Piterman says the role of the enigmatic Phantom has been cathartic for him.

"I can't help but feel his heart and so much of what Phantom speaks about, his spirit, his soul, it's all things that connect to something deeper within a person and they're all the parts of me that I've tried to connect greater to within myself."

Despite his extensive career, Piterman said recent years had been a learning curve and, at times, traumatic.

The arts industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with venues closed and shows, gigs and performances widely cancelled or postponed.

Piterman recalls the moment he received a phone call informing him the Australia season of Phantom had been halted for COVID-19 concerns.

"I was on the floor foetal, just bawling. It was like everything that needed to come out that I tried to digest or had subconsciously suppressed, just flooded in that moment," he said.

"People in the business, millions of people across the whole world, are so affected who've had similar moments where it's just been all too much."

Piano Bar venue manager Jason Brian agrees the past years have been hard for the arts.

"We're just slowly building back up again, like all other businesses ... all of our locations are rebuilding and getting back to what we love to do, and that's live music," he said.

Next week's concert-goers can expect musical favourites including songs from Phantom, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Guys and Dolls, and Jekyll and Hyde, woven together with stories from Piterman's life on and off stage.

Mr Brian said the Piano Bar was thrilled to add Piterman to the diverse line-up of names that had graced their stages.

"This is a very exciting show for the group and we think it's going to be a fantastic, intimate show for anyone that wants to get out for a night - especially if you love musical theatre."

For Piterman, he is looking forward to transporting audiences come next week - in the way that only music can.

"That's what live performance does, it allows you to escape from whatever world you're in to be taken into a new world, a world that fills you up and makes you feel amazing," he said.

"I think that's really important, that it is about joy."

Josh Piterman will play at the Piano Bar in Ballarat on February 17 from 6pm to 9.30pm.

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